Musical box



May 1 1954 R. BREITLER ET AL MUSICAL BOX Filed Aug. 20, 1951 PatentedMay 11, 1954 MUSICAL BOX Robert Breitler and Pierre Breitler, Ste-Croix,Switzerland Application August 20, 1951, Serial No. 242,604

7 Claims. 1

A musical box is known comprising a comb and a needle roller, whichserves for operating the reeds of the comb, as well as means forrotating the needle roller in one direction of rotation, thereciprocating movement of an operating mem ber being converted into tworotating impulses. The operating member is in the form of a press key ormay be connected with a press key by means of rods or the like.Consequently, the musical box can be placed on an article which isintended to carry out rocking movements only when a press key and theconnecting means can be mounted between the latter and the operatingmember.

The invention relates to a musical box comprising a comb and a needleroller which serves for operating th reeds of the comb, as well as anoperating member, which performs a reciprocatin movement, for rotatingthe needle roller in one direction. According to the invention, thismusical box difiers from the known construction in that it comprises asuspending device for arranging it on the article, which serves forcarrying out rocking movements, as well as means for maintaining thevertical position during the rocking movements, so that the suspendingdevice itself acts as the driving member for rotating the needle rollerand the musical box is operated by the action of its own weight.

An example of embodiment of the subject matter of the invention isillustrated by the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 is anelevation with one side of the casing removed;

Fig. 2 is an elevation with the other side of the casing removed;

Fig. 3 is a plan;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section through the casing and Fig. 5 is a frontelevation, on a smaller scale, of the suspended musical box in twodifferent positions.

The musical box comprises a needle roller or pin cylinder 2 which isrotatably arranged on a plate I and with which a toothed wheel 3 isconnected. Two supports 4 and 5, which are connected with the plate,serve for mounting the needle roller 2. On the rotation of the pincylinder 2, the reeds of a comb 6, which is screwed on to a ledge-likeelevation on the plate I, are raised by the pins that project above theperiphery of the pin cylinder 2.

For rotating the toothed wheel 3 there are provided two pawls I and 8which are pivoted at one end on an arm 9. The arm 9 itself i pivotallyconnected on a pin l0 arranged between the positions in which the pawlsare fixed, with a support I I arranged on the plate I, so that, when thearm 9 is moved to and fro about its rocking axle, one pawl moves thetoothed wheel 3 forward whilst the second pawl carries out a rearwardmovement and slides on the toothed wheel without affecting it and, whenthe rearward movement is interrupted comes into engagement with thetoothed wheel and moves it forward, when the direction of movement ofthe arm 9 is reversed. Accordingly, a to-and-fro movement of th arm 9effects two consecutive rotary move-- ments of the toothed wheel 3 inthe same direc tion. Fixed to the pawl I is one end of a helical springl2 which is placed over the pivoting axle IE) and is connected at itsother end with a hookshaped extension [3 of the pawl 8. This spring itaccordingly has two parts which are at an obtuse angle to each other andwhich keep the two pawls constantly in contact with the toothed wheel 3.

The plate I is, together with the parts mounted thereon, put on aplate-shaped support I4 and is, with the latter, accommodated in acylindrical casing formed of two parts 15 and It. For connecting the twoparts l5 and I6 of the casin together, spacer pieces ll and cap screws18, which are screwed into internal threads of bores in the latter, areprovided. In the part l6 of the casing, there is provided an edgedepression l9 which, when the part l5 of the casing is put on, forms aslot and serves for the passage therethrough of the extended arm 9 aswell as of a further carrying arm 20.

The two arms 9 and 20 are each bent twice at right angles (see Fig. 4)and serve as suspending members for the musical box. The end of thecarrying arm 20, which is located inside the casing l5, I6, is pivotedto the support 4 with the shaft of th needle roller as a pivoting axle.The two ends of the arms I 9 and 20, which are located outside thecasing, are pivoted to an angle piece 2| which is intended as a fixingmemher for suspending the musical box on an article with which rockingmovements can be carried out, for example on rocking chairs.

The operation of the musical box described is as follows:

The musical box hangs freely like a pendulum and is kept permanently inthe vertical position by a weight member 22 made of a heavy metal, forexample lead, while the casing, however, together with the partsaccommodated therein, can carry out a rotary movement about its ownaxis, which movement is limited by the length of the 3 edge depression.The musical box is suspended by the two arms 9 and 20 at two positionswhich are spaced apart and which lie on the two sides of the axis of thecasing. If the article which is carrying out rocking movements isbrought into an inclined position, as indicated on the lefthand part ofFig. 5, the arm 20 pulls the part with the pin cylinder 2 upwards andthe arm 9 moves the support ll downwards, the pawl l, at the same time,rotating the toothed wheel 3 owing to the rocking movement about thepivot I0. When the article which is carrying out rocking movements thenpasses to the inclined position shown on the right in Fig. 5, the pawl 8becomes operative to continue to rotate the toothed wheel.

Consequently, when the rocking movements are being performed, themusical box is operated under the action of its own weight by reason ofthe fact that the latter is arranged for maintaining the verticalposition during the rocking movements and the suspending device, whichconsists of the two arms El and 2B, compels the plate I and the partsfitted thereon to rock since one arm performs an upward movement and theother arm performs a downward movement. in this way, a rocking movementof the arm 9 together with the two pawls I and 8 in relation to theplate sets in.

What we claim is:

1.1n a rocking structure, a musical device comprising a base member, arotating cylinder with pins and registering reeds of difierent lengthcapable of producing musical sounds, said reeds being adapted to beengaged by said pins to be operated thereby, a driving memberoperatively connected to said cylinder, said driving member and saidcylinder being rotatably mounted on said base member, means pivotailyconnected at its top to said rocking structure to freely swing like apendulum in the rocking plane of said rocking structure, said meanspivotally suspending at its lower end said base member to freely swinglike a pendulum in the rocking plane of said rocking structure, whilesaid base member tends to retain a fixed angular position with respectto the perpendicular, elements on said suspending means engaging saiddriving member and being adapted to rotate the same together with saidcylinder in one direction due to angular displacement of said suspendingmeans with respect to said driving member, when said rocking structureis rocked, whereby musical sounds are produced as a result of theoperation of said reeds by said pins on said cylinder.

2. In a rocking structure according to claim 1, wherein a weight issecured to said base member below its suspension axis to assure itsretention-in the perpendicular position.

3. In a rocking structure according to claim 1, wherein a casing isattached to said base member, said casing enclosing said musical device.

4. In a rocking structure, a musical device comprising a base member, arotating cylinder with pins and registering reeds of diilerent lengthcapable of producing musical sounds, said reeds being adapted to beengaged by said pins to be operated thereby, a toothed wheel operativelyconnected to said cylinder, said toothed wheel and said cylinder beingrotatably mounted on said base member, lever means suspended at theirtop from said rocking structure to freely swing like a pendulum in therocking plane of said structure, pivot means at the lower part of saidlever means to freely suspend said base member from said lever means sothat said base member tends to maintain a fixed position with respect tothe perpendicular during swinging movements of said lever means, pawlmeans on said lever means biased to engage said toothed wheel and beingadapted to rotate the same and said cylinder, due to angulardisplacement of said lever means with respect to said toothed wheel,when said rocking structure is rocked, whereby musical sounds areproduced as a result of the operation of said reeds by said pins on saidrotating cylinder.

5. In a rocking structure according to claim 4, wherein said pivot meansis provided somewhat above the lower end of said lever means, said pawlmeans comprising two independent pawls biased to engage said toothedwheel, one of said pawls being hinged to said lever means at a placesomewhat below said pivot means, the other of said pawls being hinged tosaid lever means at a place somewhat above said pivot means, wherebysaid one pawl imparts a rotating movement to said toothed wheel and saidcylinder when said rocking structure is rocking in the one direction,and said other pawl imparts a rotating movement to said toothed wheeland said cylinder when said rocking structure is rocking in the otherdirection.

6. In a rocking structure according to claim 4, said lever meanscomprising two levers spaced from one another in the rocking plane ofsaid rocking structure, pivot means to separately suspend said levers attheir top from said rocking structure, two pivot means to separatelysuspend said base member from said two levers, said latter pivot meansof said one lever being provided somewhat above the lower end of saidlever, said pawl means comprising two independent pawls biased to engagesaid toothed wheel, one of said pawls being hinged to said one lever ata place somewhat below said latter pivot means, the other of said pawlsbeing hinged to said lever at a place somewhat above said latter pivotmeans, whereby said one pawl imparts a rotating move-ment to saidtoothed Wheel and said cylinder, when said rocking structure is rockingin the one direction, and said other pawl imparts a rotating movement tosaid toothed wheel and said cylinder when said rocking structure isrocking in the other direction.

7. In a rocking structure according to claim 6, wherein a casingsurrounding said musical device is mounted on said base member, saidcasing being formed with cutouts for the free passage of said leversatevery operative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,720,772 Thorens July 16, 1929 2,251,141 Lehman July 29, 19412,346,444 Machlin et al Apr. 11, 1944 2,501,861 Braun Mar. 28, 19502,550,991 Goodman May 1, 1951

